Fifteen Situations To Smile Through
by Enya Talisman
Summary: Ever wanted to be like your favourite idol Nico? Dying to know what kind of situations Nico-nii would smile through? Well look no further, for this story will tell you under what circumstances Nico would smile through! (Or rather, the life story of a writer who is similar to Nico in some ways)


For numbers 12 and 14, please read 'Three Days With Smiggle' to understand better. I don't own Love Live.

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1\. You have no choice but to sit in your seat and smile away to mask your annoyance at your form teacher's comments of you being negative. It's damn embarrassing to get called out to 'have a chat' with your form teacher who looks scary as heck and _definitely_ not having a simple 'chat' as she claimed an hour and a half later. But nonetheless, you sit and don a smile as you listen to your teacher prattling away at your 'negativity'.

Oh the regrets that teacher would think if you were a few years older, the actual damage you could inflict on to an adult with your increasingly 'negative' views towards life.

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2\. You just got back your national examination results that you took in primary school and by god, it was horrible. Even though you're clearly the lowest in your class with elite students as your classmates, you still force yourself to smile along with your mother who honestly wanted to bolt out of the classroom that very instant. Even though your friends were happily asking each other for their results, you still had to smile through the whole ordeal and pretend you got a decent score. An A for English was something that came in handy especially when it comes to eloquently lying to anyone who asked about your results. So until you and your mother reached home where the two of you can cry in peace, you braved through the crowd with the brightest smile you have faked in your 12 years of your life.

After that you vowed to smile through whatever comes your way, only letting down your guard once you triumphed over your new classmates the next year.

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3\. Your first day in your secondary school was horrible, but for the sake of surviving four years in a lower than average school you decided to keep up your smiling face to give the impression that you were friendly. You looked down on your peers but you had no choice but to accept that you're going to be in a 'dumb' class with 'dumb' classmates with equally 'dumb' teachers. Smiling came so easily to you ever since what happened a year ago.

With that advantage in hand, you'll lie your way through school like how an idol sells her smiles for her audience.

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4\. You regretted underestimating your peers as now you're in a situation where the odds are against you. Once a victim now turned troublemaker, you're facing the dean of your level, accused of causing disturbance to the tranquil peace your 'dumb' school had. Masking your scheming nature, you faked a smile and pretended to listen to him, formulating a plan that had a high chance of succeeding if you played your own cards right. Luckily for you, the dean was too 'naive' to believe that a 13 year old wouldn't dare to bring out the big guns.

So with a smile, your plan was set into motion, the dean and your accuser not knowing what was about to hit them next.

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5\. You smile smugly to yourself as your father 'attacked' the dean and the vice-principal with well-crafted but hurting remarks. Or at least, that's what he told you after you conveniently didn't appear with your father like what the dean had told you to do four days before. With fake innocence and fervent denial of the dean's claims, victory was in your hands three days later where a three hour detention stacked against you was withdrawn and the accuser serving a six hour detention. A smile always crept onto your face as you relished in the triumph of overcoming all odds stacked against you.

The price to pay for that sweet victory was a poor relationship with your class but you didn't care, for you still looked down on them and would rather if they left you alone.

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6\. Another genuine smile crept on to your face after hearing that your appeal to a better school succeeded, meaning that you could escape that hellhole of a school that nearly ruined the innocent, friendly persona you had built since the first day of school. The news also meant that you could throw away that horrid smiling mask that you've been using ever since that form teacher of yours called you out for your 'negativity'. Within a few days, the identity of 'Nico Yazawa' had vanished into a memory, a memory that was only remembered by your accuser since you had scarred her with your heavy artillery. You still smile at the memory of your first absence from school for that year, it came as a surprise for you had disappeared like magic, even leaving a birthday wish for a classmate to mask your happiness of leaving the 'dumb' school.

From then onward, you were treated to a life full of magic, opportunities and last of all, more smiles.

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7\. You realised that somewhere in the second semester of your first year in your new school, your peers are much more devious as compared to the previous. Technology was advanced and so was the convenience of erasing any traces of evidence used to prove your innocence. You still don a mask of smiles, the mask much more corrupted than before after it was forged in frustration, hatred and revenge. Of course as always, you always get to taste victory after playing the victim card. Who knew that seeing your first team fail their project was _so_ satisfying, to the extent that you could pull off a genuine smile at the hilarity of that mediocre presentation?

But then again, only you would truly know whether that smile was out of pure laughter or pure maliciousness.

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8\. Your first few days as the class president is going off to a rocky start, especially when some uncooperative classmates just simply refuse to listen to you. Smiling became more forced as you had to put up with their antics. Thankfully smiling was still your best friend and weapon, after all you're not named 'Nico' for nothing right? That mask you possessed became the best thing since sliced bread after your teachers decided that you simply weren't a good candidate for the role. It was also a good thing that you kept on smiling when they announced that the new class president was a teacher's pet, someone who would willing wag his tail and execute any instructions given by his mistresses. You simply smiled to express well wishes for him, masking your irritation at him, your teachers and most of all, your class who were pretty much uncooperative when it comes to you.

Nothing good will ever come out of a jealous person right?

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9\. You were torn between going on an offensive front or to go with a defensive approach. Naturally to avoid any major consequences, you donned your signature smiling mask as your co-form teacher commented that you're not 'considering other's opinions'. You already knew for a fact that your group mates will bomb all of the group's grades if you chose to let the do as they please. Then again, the very same teacher commented that you're 'not being active in participation' the last time you decided to play along with the very same group. Oh well, a smiling face makes the situation seemingly less embarrassing for you since you were so 'understanding' of the teacher's concerns. Although, you occasionally wondered how long will it take for your smiling mask to crack given that it's starting to wear from constant use. Whatever, you thought to yourself, you could always worry about the consequences later.

After all how bad could the consequences be?

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10\. You regretted saying that the worst wasn't as bad as expected because here you are, facing your 'worried' classmates who were questioning your dubious activities that you did nearly every lesson. Well, in fairness you were constantly observed holding a compass dangerously near your arm. Nevertheless, you were able to play off their 'concerns' with a smile and constant reassurance. After you sent them off with a smile, you flinched in pain as your upper arm was bleeding thanks to your efforts to 'de-stress'. Your right arm was full of scars, the one which was bleeding most likely infected by your mathematical tool but you didn't really care much.

With a smile and maybe a bit of pain, you managed to avoid a full blown breakdown at the most crucial time of the year.

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11\. You gritted your teeth as you heard the scathing remarks of your Maths teacher, your emotions thankfully being hidden by a mask you wore in order to combat the haze. Even _you_ had your limits when it comes to putting up with your life's bullshit. You managed to restrain your boiling anger and the temptation to maul your 'frail old' teacher with a smile, which was unfortunately hidden by your mask. One minute you were smiling away, next minute you're narrowing your eyes at your teacher's hurtful comment. Sure, your A Maths grade was rock bottom but that didn't gave her a reason to say that 'she won't allow you to enter the exam hall with my grades' did it? After that 'talk', you decided to attempt practice papers while breaking into tears as you copy away ninety percent of the answers just to please her. The only time where you went back to your 'usual' self was when a concerned teacher approached you and asked about your well-being, which you played it off as side effects from the haze.

You know that from then on, no amount of smiles would patch up your life.

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12\. You were at the local library doing some volunteering for three days straight. It would be an okay experience if the group that you were assigned to didn't make you curse every five minutes. You had kept your broken mask on for the whole thing, especially when you got yourself demoted on the last day of the volunteering. It was embarrassing as hell as you hated to admit but you were glad that all of your friends were on your side. Even the ones that caused your demotion felt guilty afterwards. Still, the embarrassment that you've hidden behind your smile will remain, never fully erased from your memory.

Or the fact that you put an adult in his rightful place after smiling away like an idiot for three days straight.

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13\. You were torn between smiling and crying. Your results for your national examinations just came in, and by god it wasn't what you expected. A seventeen stared back at you cruelly, limiting your options for a junior college. Thirteen, though known as an unlucky number, was your luckiest number for it opened up many courses in the top polytechnics. Your grades looked decent at a glance, save for a D7 for Physics which meant that you failed a subject. You decided to throw away your mask for the time being as you didn't need it, choosing to frown your way out of the hall. By sheer coincidence, you and your friend met the very same teacher who mocked you for your disastrous A Maths grade. With a smug smile plastered on your pale face, you rubbed your A Maths grade in her face, proving to her that someone who failed badly could score a B3 in a major examination. Once you were done, you left the school to celebrate with your friends.

You smiled genuinely to yourself without any malice for the first time in years, somewhat satisfied with one part of your results as you left the school for the last time in your life.

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14\. You and your mother were rushing down to a junior college, the very same one your fellow library volunteer Kotori attended. Due to your friendship with the said girl, Kotori had offered a tour of her school after eleven, right after her shift. Thankfully, you received a call from her at the school gate and she happened to be halfway to the gate. With a wave, you managed to catch her attention and headed towards where she was standing. She then proceeded to give you a tour of her school, where you found out that there indeed was a shooting club that both boys and girls could attend. You and your mother also learnt of the criteria to be promoted to the second year, which honestly wasn't as scary as compared to the next school which you visited just for fun.

The two of you had a hard time smiling at the second school, both sweating like crazy after a fifteen minute walk from the nearest train station. Never again would you visit this school as you striked off the school from your options.

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15\. Today was the day where you would know where you're posted to. You know that you're clearly posted to a junior college as the first three options were all junior colleges, and the only remaining question was whether you were posted to 'J' Junior College or 'Y' Junior College. You had already tasked your mother to place either one of the figurines as a code to inform you of the school you were posted to. You groggily got out of your bed and turned to see the figurine on the counter, rubbing your bleary eyes out of habit.

Irregardless of the figurine on the counter top, you had a smile on your face as you did your best to enjoy your last day of break, the day which was possibly the last day of relaxation until you finish your national examinations in two years time.

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Unlike the new year story I posted, this is only 50 percent true. Also I suck at 2nd POV, this is honestly my first time. The rest were all made up or otherwise exaggerated which I'll be listing down below.

3\. The first day went pretty well, I even made some 'friends'. Of course, it was due to my snobbish attitude that made my brain view it as a terrible one. I'm not a good person, to be honest I suspect myself to be bordering on psychopathy... **(Exaggerated)**

9\. I wanted to bash her head in by the way. I slogged like a dog for her during my class committee duties, I happened to be tired at that golden moment when she caught me. Doing homework till two in the morning is unhealthy guys. **(Exaggerated)**

10\. No, I didn't self-harm. I wanted to make it more dramatic since I left number 9 at a dramatic end. I was simply stressed out and lost quite a lot of hair by August. I'm truly sorry if I offended anyone who self-harms or know people who do so, I didn't plan to make a joke out of you. **(Made up)**

11\. Technically that wasn't how it went, I agreed with her at one point. But generally what made me wanted to smash her head on to a table was her tone. Also, at no point of that scene did I cry while I copied away the answers. In case anyone wanted to know, I copied _all_ of the answers as I didn't want to crack my brain at those sums. Don't be like me readers. **(Exaggerated)**

12\. That experience was embarrassing as hell like I put it. It was unfair as hell that I got demoted _only_ on the last day. See 'Three Days With Smiggle' for a better insight. That one's 90 percent true. **(Exaggerated)**

13\. No, I didn't rub it in her face. Though I wished I could, unfortunately for me she's still a teacher. And I didn't score that well in that examination, it was pretty bad actually. But I had to give Nico-nii a happy scene at some point right? **(Made up)**

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The reason I did this was to recount the times where I forced a smile. Trust me, my whole life is built up on fake smiles just like how Nico patched up her broken life with her 'nico nico niis'.

Also, why I chose to write another life story is kind of due to AnimeGrim, who mentioned about 'A Day In the Life Of Plant' in their review of my new year story. I found it an interesting idea and decide to sell off my life to you guys since I remembered that I don't know whether I'm truly happy. For the record, I'm not depressed or something.

Oh by the way, go find out more on Singapore's education system! I'm too lazy to actually explain it here...

Thanks for reading till the end!


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